Multipurpose cart and mixer

ABSTRACT

A cart having two coaxial wheels and two columns mounted on a frame supports a hopper consisting of two trough-shaped receptacles connected by releasable hinges, a latch, and a gasket. One of the troughs is rotatably mounted on the frame by trunnions and may be turned about the trunnion axis by bail handles provided on each trough or by a crank on the frame connected to one trunnion by a chain-and-sprocket drive. A removable partition in the container facilitates manual turning of the container by dividing the load.

United States Patent Pommier 1 Feb. 1, 1972 [54] MULTIPURPOSE CART ANDMIXER 2,478,408 8/1949 Lightburn ..259/177 R [72] Inventor: PierrePommier, 162 rue du Marechal gf g Foch 95 Tavemy, France ietrlc [22]Filed: Oct. 15, 1970 Primary Examiner-Robert W. Jenkins pp No: 80,940Attorney-Kelman and Berman [57] ABSTRACT [30] Forelgn Apphcamm Pnorm'Dam A cart having two coaxial wheels and two columns mounted Feb. 1 l,1970 France ..7004889 on a frame supports a hopper consisting of twotrough-shaped Oct. 16, 1969 France ..-..6935964 receptacles connected byreleasable hinges, a latch, and a gasket. One of the troughs isrotatably mounted on the frame [52] U.S.Cl ..259/177, 259/81 bytrunnions and may be turned about the trunnion axis by [51] lnt.Cl..B28c 5/18 bail handles provided on each trough or by a crank on the[58] Field of Search ..259/ 175, 176, 177, 81, 82, frame connected toone trunnion by a chain-and-sprocket 259/88, 173, 174, 57, 58, 178drive. A removable partition in the container facilitates manual turningof the container by dividing the load. [56] References Cited I 10Claims, 5 Drawing Figures UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,920,025 7/1933Thordsen ..259/ 176 PMENIED FEB I 1972 sumaurz PATENIEB FEB I I972MULTIPURPOSE CART AND MIXER This invention relates to carts, andparticularly to simple mixers for concrete or other materials which maybe moved on wheels by an operator.

Known small mixers for concrete are mounted on wheels and equipped withhandles which permit the mixers to be rolled on a suitable surface to aplace of operation. Such mixers are convenient for preparing amounts ofconcrete mix too small for industrial use, but suitable for occasionaluse by homeowners or farmers. When concrete mix is not needed, thesemixers are useless for their operators. I

The primary object of this invention is the provision of a multipurposecart suitable for mixing materials such as concrete, but also capable offunctioning as a wheelbarrow, a spreader for liquid fertilizer, and forother purposes that will readily suggest themselves as the need mayarise.

Basically, the cart of the invention has a frame equipped with at leastthree-point support by suitable members mounted on the frame in aposition in which they are adapted simultaneously to engage a horizontalsurface. At least one of the support members is a wheel.

The frame carries a bearing arrangement on which a trough member ismounted for rotation about an axis which normally extends horizontally.Operating means are provided for tuming the trough member about thebearing axis, and a substantially trough-shaped cover may be sealinglyconnected to the trough member in such a manner that they jointlyenclose a cavity. Handles on the frame permit the cart to be rolled onan approximately horizontal surface by means of its wheel or wheels.

Other features and many of the attendant advantages of this inventionwill readily become apparent from the following detailed description ofpreferred embodiments when considered in connection with the appendeddrawing in which:

FIG. I shows the frame of a cart of the invention without the mixingcontainer in a perspective view;

FIG. 2 shows the frame of FIG. 1 assembled with the open container in aview corresponding to that of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates the fully assembled cart with its container sealed ina view analogous to those of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 shows a divider insert for the container of the cart in aperspective view; and

FIG. 5 illustrates an open'container similar to that shown in FIGS. 2and 3 having the divider of FIG. 4 installed therein.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, and initially to FIG. I, theframe common to the several illustrated carts of the invention consistsessentially of three welded assemblies of steel tubing. A handleassembly 1 is approximately H-shaped and upright in the normal operatingposition of the cart except for the upper ends of the two parallel sidemembers which are bent into a common horizontal plane and carry plastichandles 1'.

The lower ends of the parallel handle assembly members aretelescopically received in respective upright supporting columns 2 ofthe two identical side assemblies of the frame and secured in a desiredvertical position by setscrews 2. The

' longer leg of an approximately L-shaped member 3 is fixedly fastenedto each column 2 and slopes from the column obliquely upward and forwardin the normal direction of cart movement. The shorter leg of the member3 extends vertically downward and its free end is attached to a fork 4in which a wheel 4 is mounted releasably and coaxially with the wheel ofthe other side assembly.

Near their highest points, the two members 3 carry respective bearings 5whose shells are split and hingedly connected. In FIG. 1, the bearings 5are open and empty. The left side member 3 also carries a bearing block6 the purpose of which will presently become apparent. The crossbar ofthe handle assembly l carries a rod 7 slidable on the crossbar in thedirection of cart movement in a sleeve 7' welded to the crossbar. Therear end of the rod 7 is perpendicularly bent to form a grip which isfastened to the handle assembly 1 by a chain 7!! 7 When assembled, asshown in FIG. 2, the cart includes a split mixing hopper whosepractically identical halves 8, 9 are troughs releasably connected byhinges 10 in the open and,

closed condition of the hopper and further by a latch 11 on the trough 8cooperating with a detent 11' on the trough 9 in the closed position ofthe hopper seen in FIG. 3. Each trough 8, 9 consists of a plastic shell13 and a rigid, rectangular steel frame 14 about the open rim of theshell. A bail handle 12 is fixedly fastened to the frame 14 of eachtrough 8, 9. the handles l2 projecting in opposite horizontal directionsfrom the two frames 14 on the closed hopper.

A shaft 15 is transversely fastened in opposite ends of the troughs 8,9, the shaft in the trough 9 not being visible in the drawing. Eachshaft 15 carries a blade 16 and two perpendicular rods 17 for breakingup lumps in the material being mixed. A resilient gasket 18 on thetrough 8 seals the hopper when the trough 8 is swung down as a cover onthe trough 9.

Trunnions 19, 20 project from the frame 14 of the trough 9 and arejournaled in the two bearings 5, thereby permitting the hopper to beturned about the common axis of the bearings 5 by means of the handles12 for mixing its contents. If the load is too heavy to permit manualrotation of the hopper 8, 9 by means of the handles 12, a sprocket 21may be mounted on the trunnion 20, a crank 23 carrying "a small sprocket24 on the bearing block 6, and a link chain 25 trained over thesprockets 21, 24, as is shown in FIG. 3.

During loading prior to mixing, or if it is intended to use the cart inthe manner of a wheelbarrow for transporting bulk material, the rod 7 isinserted into the tubular member 22 of the handle 12 on the trough 8which is rearwardly open in the trough position seen in FIGS. 2 and 3,thereby preventing rotation of the hopper about the trunnion axis. Thetrough 8 serves as a cover during operation of the cart as a wheelbarrowor may be removed after disengagement of the hinges 10.

When the cart is to be stored for an extended period, its bulk may bereduced greatly by removing the hopper 8, 9 from the frame, releasingthe wheels 4 from the forks 4' by loosening wingnuts 4" on the wheelshafts, and withdrawing the handle assembly from the columns 2. Thethree frame assemblies and the wheels then can be fitted in the closedhopper. When the cart is to be used as a stationary mixer, it may alsobe convenient to remove the wheels 4 and to support the hopper on theforks 4' and the columns 2. When the cart is moved, the columns 2 arelifted from the ground by means of the handles 1 and the wheels 4 rollon the ground.

In the open hopper position shown in FIG. 2, the interior of the trough8 may be cleaned by a stream of water from a hose, and the watercollecting in the trough 9 and water used for cleaning the latter troughmay be released by removing a threaded plug 30 from the trough 9. If theplug is replaced by a distributor or nozzle, not shown, the cart mayalso be used as a spreader for liquid fertilizer, herbicides, and likeliquids.

Manual rotation of the hopper on its trunnions is facilitated by apartition of the type shown in FIG. 4. The partition is a plate 26having the approximate shape of a regular hexagon and corresponding tothe upright cross section of the closed hopper through the trunnionaxis. Four approximately U- shaped positioning bars 27 project in pairsfrom opposite faces of the plate 26. The bars 27 of each pair areconnected by a straight flat bar 28 which is useful in breaking up lumpsin the mixed material in a manner similar to the elements mounted on theshaft 15 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 shows two hingedly connected troughs 8, 9 substantially identicalwith the hopper halves seen in FIG. 2, and the partition assembly ofFIG. 4 mounted in the trough 9. The

- plate 26 is held in an upright plane through the axis of the trunnions19, 20 by the positioning bars 27 which engage the four corners of theframe 14. When the hopper is closed, the bars 27 similarly engage theframe 14 of the trough 8, and the plate 26 divides the cavity defined bythe troughs into two equal compartments. 1

During normal mixing, the cavity is filled with material to less thanone-half of its capacity. In the absence of the panition plate 26, theentire material being mixed is located below the trunnion axis at alltimes. With the partition plate 26, ap proximately one-half of the loadcan be held above the trunnion axis during about one-half of each hopperrevolution, thereby facilitating the turning ofthe hopper.

The troughs 8, 9 shown in FIG. are equipped with modified bail handles2) connecting the longer sides of each frame 14 near the short sides andenveloping and protecting the shells 13.

The hopper 8, 9 is supported on the ground in four points by the twocolumns 2 and the two wheels 4. However, three-point support may besufficient, and a single wheel may be mounted on a shaft (not shown)connecting the forks 4' in a manner conventional in wheelbarrows if thecart does not carry very heavy loads. The wheelbase of the cart may alsobe reduced by interchanging the side assemblies of the frame because thewheel 4 in each side assembly, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, is axiallyoffset from the common plane of the side member 3 and the column 2 in adirection away from the other wheel.

Applications permitting a narrower wheelbase or a single wheel includethe mixing of materials other than concrete, such as animal feed, orseed grain and fungicide. A single cart of this invention is versatileenough to be useful in these and other applications for which some ofthe illustrated elements may be removed from the frame. The troughs 8,9, for example, when not needed on the cart, have obvious other usessingly or connected by the hinges l0, and all other elements of the cartmay be stored in a very small space. Minor modifications may furtherexpand the field of application for the cart.

It should be understood, therefore, that the foregoing disclosurerelates only to preferred embodiments of the invention, and that it isintended to cover all changes and modifications in the examples of theinvention chosen for the purpose of the disclosure which do notconstitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention as setforth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A multipurpose cart comprising, in combination:

a. a frame including two support members;

b. a wheel mounted on said frame for engagement with a horizontalsurface when said two support members engage the same;

c. bearing means on said frame;

d. a trough member mounted on said bearing means for rotation about anormally horizontally extending axis;

e. operating means for turning said trough member about said axis;

f. a substantially trough-shaped cover member;

g. sealing means for sealingly connecting said cover member to saidtrough member in such a manner that the trou h member and the covermember jointly enclose a ca during said rotation of the trough member;and

h. handle means on said frame for rolling the same on sa d surface bymeans of said wheel.

2. A cart as set forth in claim I, wherein said frame carric'; anotherwheel mounted thereon for engagement with said surface simultaneouslywith said first-mentioned wheel and said two support members.

3. A cart as set forth in claim 2, wherein said frame incliit' two sideassemblies and a handle assembly. each side assemlty carrying one ofsaid wheels and including one of said suppori members, and securingmeans for securing said handle as sembly to each of said side assembliesand for thereby connecting the side assemblies.

4-. A cart as set forth in claims 3, wherein said support members aretubular, and respective portions of said ban 1*: sembly are received insaid tubular members in ESlCSCOPl'Tf engagement.

5. A cart as set forth in claim 2, wherein said scaling in: includehinge means connecting said trough member and cover member for pivotalmovement between an open and a sealed condition of said cavity, andlatch means engageabic for connecting said trough member and said covermember and for thereby preventing said pivoting movement when saidcavity is in the sealed condition.

6. A cart as set forth in claim 2, further comprising means for varyingthe axial spacing of said wheels, the wheels being arranged for rotationabout a common axis.

7. A cart as set forth in claim 2, wherein said operating means includea handle member on at least one member of the pair constituted by saidtrough member and said cover member.

8. A cart as set forth in claim 2, wherein the members of said pair areof substantially identical size and shape.

9. A cart as set forth in claim 1, further including partition means fordividing said cavity into two compartments, said partition meansincluding a plate member and positioning means releasably positioningsaid plate member in said cavity when said trough member and said covermember are sealingly connected.

10. A cart as set forth in claim 9, wherein said positioning meansposition said plate member in a plane through the axis of rotation ofsaid trough member, and breaker means on said positioning means in eachcompartment for breaking material contained therein.

1. A multipurpose cart comprising, in combination: a. a frame includingtwo support members; b. a wheel mounted on said frame for engagementwith a horizontal surface when said two support members engage the same;c. bearing means on said frame; d. a trough member mounted on saidbearing means for rotation about a normally horizontally extending axis;e. operating means for turning sAid trough member about said axis; f. asubstantially trough-shaped cover member; g. sealing means for sealinglyconnecting said cover member to said trough member in such a manner thatthe trough member and the cover member jointly enclose a cavity duringsaid rotation of the trough member; and h. handle means on said framefor rolling the same on said surface by means of said wheel.
 2. A cartas set forth in claim 1, wherein said frame carries another wheelmounted thereon for engagement with said surface simultaneously withsaid first-mentioned wheel and said two support members.
 3. A cart asset forth in claim 2, wherein said frame includes two side assembliesand a handle assembly, each side assembly carrying one of said wheelsand including one of said support members, and securing means forsecuring said handle assembly to each of said side assemblies and forthereby connecting the side assemblies.
 4. A cart as set forth in claims3, wherein said support members are tubular, and respective portions ofsaid handle assembly are received in said tubular members in telescopingengagement.
 5. A cart as set forth in claim 2, wherein said sealingmeans include hinge means connecting said trough member and said covermember for pivotal movement between an open and a sealed condition ofsaid cavity, and latch means engageable for connecting said troughmember and said cover member and for thereby preventing said pivotingmovement when said cavity is in the sealed condition.
 6. A cart as setforth in claim 2, further comprising means for varying the axial spacingof said wheels, the wheels being arranged for rotation about a commonaxis.
 7. A cart as set forth in claim 2, wherein said operating meansinclude a handle member on at least one member of the pair constitutedby said trough member and said cover member.
 8. A cart as set forth inclaim 2, wherein the members of said pair are of substantially identicalsize and shape.
 9. A cart as set forth in claim 1, further includingpartition means for dividing said cavity into two compartments, saidpartition means including a plate member and positioning meansreleasably positioning said plate member in said cavity when said troughmember and said cover member are sealingly connected.
 10. A cart as setforth in claim 9, wherein said positioning means position said platemember in a plane through the axis of rotation of said trough member,and breaker means on said positioning means in each compartment forbreaking material contained therein.